Review Summary: Rachael Yamagata has crafted a two-part album that welcomes the listener with a beautifully haunting experience yet leaves them with an exciting rush, all the while creating a mutual understanding between songwriter and listener through her lyrics.
On rare occasion, you come across an album from an artist that you’ve never heard of, and before the first track is even finished, you’ve found yourself completely enamored by what you’ve heard. You already decide that this artist is going to be one of your all time favorites and you’ll end up considering this album (which you haven’t even finished for the first time yet) one of the greatest of all time. But then you venture further into the album, and even though you try so hard to make your hypothetical thoughts come true, you end up falling into sheer disappointment.
The first part of this is true for
Elephants… Teeth Sinking Into Heart, but Rachael Yamagata does not disappoint on a single track after the gorgeous and poignant opening. The album is split into two separate parts;
Elephants and
Teeth Sinking Into Heart. The major difference between the two seems to be timbre,
Elephants being dark yet wonderfully susceptible and
Teeth Sinking Into Heart being more coarse and disparaging.
After listening about thirty seconds into the first track, “Elephants”, I was hooked on this album. Rachael’s gentle touch of the piano and the haunting hesitance of her voice create one of the most intriguing beginnings of an album that I have ever heard. Lyrically the song excels even more. I don’t think I can explain this any better than the lyrics themselves:
“If the elephants have past lives / Yet are destined to always remember / It's no wonder how they scream / Like you and I they must have some temper / And I am dreaming of them on the plains / Dirtying up their beds / Watching for some sign of rain / To cool their hot heads / And how dare that you send me that card / When I'm doing all that I can do / You are forcing me to remember / When all I want is to just forget you”
If the entire track had remained just her and piano, it would not have been an issue whatsoever. But then the song introduces strings that are so warm sounding and arranged so perfectly just to break your heart even more. “Elephants” lyrically ends as beautifully as it opens; “So for those of you falling in love / Keep it kind, keep it good, keep it right / Throw yourself in the midst of danger / But keep one eye open at night”. There is so much more depth to this seemingly simple song, but I believe listening yourself will benefit you more than my words possibly could.
What remains for the
Elephants portion of the album beautifully expands on the same emotion and sensation that the opening track established. The subsequent track “What If I Leave” introduces rhythm that “Elephants” lacked but did not need. Ms. Yamagata expands the complexity of her vocals with this track as well, which she isolates with only the soft rhythm of the drum to accompany her about three minute into the track. This is a wonderful example of the pristine arrangements that are showcased throughout the entirety of the album. Even on the Ray LaMontagne collaboration “Duet” where the layers are simple and leave the two with only a few things to work with, the way the song has been arranged and the natural mixture of their two voices creates the exact same haunting tone that every track before it has achieved.
The entirety of
Elephants is slowly paced and careful, yet it never gets boring. Even on the two longer tracks, “Horizon” (8:16) and “Sunday Afternoon” (9:05), if the music doesn’t capture you, the lyrics do. But for the majority of the album, both of these elements are immaculate.
Teeth Sinking Into Heart begins with “Sidedish Friend” which brilliantly and immediately introduces the difference between the two sections of the album. It’s fun, quick and exciting. Will it tear at your heartstrings like
Elephants did? Most likely not. But had this part of the album been similar in tone, there would have been no point in splitting the tracks up. And along the same lines, had the tracks been mixed together so that perhaps the cynically daring “Accident” followed the delicate “Brown Eyes”, the album would not have felt right. And while the songs within
Teeth Sinking Into Heart are much more ruthless than the ones on
Elephants, the brilliance of the album is not diminished. The lyrics are still remarkable and the arrangements are still flawless, most notably the strings on “Pause The Tragic Ending”.
Elephants… Teeth Sinking Into Heart is an unpredictable and unexpected beauty. I could not recommend it enough to anybody, no matter what their listening preferences are. It is marvelously crafted and deeply meaningful, and it is worth every minute of the 70-minute runtime. Do yourself a favor and listen to this album. Even if you’re not hooked like I was by the opening track, continue to give it a chance. It’ll be the best life choice you’ve made in quite a while.
Standout Tracks:
Elephants
What If I Leave
Sunday Afternoon
Elephants Instrumental
Duet
Horizon
Sidedish Friend
Accident
Pause The Tragic Ending
5/5
